A Close-up View Of History

April 26, 1992|By Ann Piasecki.

At Hickory Creek School in Frankfort, children don`t just read about history. They feel, taste, see and even smell it.

A weeklong Pioneer Days celebration, focusing on the lifestyle of Indians and settlers 250 to 300 years ago, culminated in a lunch last week for 160 5th graders. Dressed in Indian feather headdresses and moccasins, or bonnets and pinafores, the students were served a pioneer lunch, including wild game, poultry, apple cobbler and lots of corn bread.

This is the eighth year that students took a hands-on journey to the past with the help of two educational presenters-one American Indian and the other a French trader, both from the Will County Forest Preserve`s Isle a la Cache Museum, Romeoville.

Speaking on behalf of the Potawatomi and Illini Indian tribes of the Midwest, museum representative Little Rattle Snake described the intricacies involved in setting up the wigwam, preparing for the hunt and making clothes. The purpose for the presentation is to destroy the stereotypes about the American Indian, said Little Rattle Snake, who is a Cherokee.

Depicting a French trader, Doug Bohanan demonstrated the use of tools needed for surviving in the wilderness.

A point system in a classroom game addressed the strife experienced by people long ago. A bout of cholera cost a player six points, while a flash flood or disabled wagon made him or her lose a turn.

Despite all the obstacles, the 5th graders agreed that they would brave the journey. ``I would go because of the outcome,`` said 11-year-old Amy Brendlinger.

Ken Reiss, former 5th-grader teacher and now director of the Learning Enrichment Center at the school, created Pioneer Days. Through his research, the children have been able to re-create primers used by pioneer children, used real feather quills and India ink and even learned a little square dancing in gym class.

``We`ve really called on the cooperation of the parents for this event, and you get it,`` Reiss added. ``It`s phenomenal.``